Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or
conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem others better than himself.
-Phillipians 2:3
Find favor and high esteem in the sight of God
and man.
-Proverbs 3:4
~Agatha Forsyth~
~
Etiquette
excerpts from Emily Post’s 1922 Edition of Etiquette
On Introductions
Even in New York’s most introductionless circles, people always
introduce:
A small group of people who are to sit together anywhere.
Partners at dinner.
The guests at a house party.
Everyone at a small dinner or luncheon.
The four who are at the same bridge table.
Partners or fellow-players in any game.
At a dance, when an invitation has been asked for a stranger, the
friend who vouched for him should personally present him to the
hostess. “Mrs. Worldly, this is Mr. Robinson, whom you said I
might bring.” The hostess shakes hands and smiles and says: “I am
very glad to see you, Mr. Robinson.”
A guest in a box at the opera always introduces any gentleman who
comes to speak to her, to her hostess, unless the latter is engrossed in
conversation with a visitor of her own, or unless other people block
the distance between so that an introduction would be forced and
awkward.
A newly arriving visitor in a lady’s drawing-room is not introduced
to another who is taking leave. Nor is an animated conversation
between two persons interrupted to introduce a third. Nor is any one
ever led around a room and introduced right and left.
If two ladies or young girls are walking together and they meet a
third who stops to speak to one of them, the other walks slowly on
and does not stand awkwardly by and wait for an introduction. If the
third is asked by the one she knows, to join them, the sauntering
friend is overtaken and an introduction always made. The third,
however, must not join them unless invited to do so.
~The Editor~
~
That which we obtain too easily,
we esteem too lightly.
-Thomas Paine
~
Together
A short story by Allie Hawbaker
The camp fire shone brightly though it was beginning to wane. Karson Garrett gazed into it dejectedly, he sighed and looked at Mandy, his wife of a few days, sitting across from him. He thought back to their wedding day, everything about the ceremony and the reception was perfect, not a single problem, until they left the reception...
Karson looked at the gauges and in the mirror as the car began to vibrate oddly and wobble. He slowly pulled over and got out to check.
"What's the matter?" Mandy asked rolling down the window.
"The back right tire is flat. I'll need to change it."
"Do you need any help?" she stepped out of the car and the wind began blowing her blonde ringlets.
"I don't think so."
"Do you know what you're doing?"
He didn't respond as he dug the jack out of the trunk. "No, I've never changed a tire before, how hard can it be?" He thought as he situated the jack under the car. He gave it one turn and felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Mandy, she was shaking her head.
"I wouldn't put the jack there. You'll crack the plastic under there. Here, I'll show you where it should go."
"You know how to change a tire?" he stepped back and watched her carefully reposition the jack.
"My dad can fix anything, he taught me a few things." she smiled up at him. "I'll let you do the rest."
"Thanks," he laughed. He finished changing the tire while Mandy told him what to do.
The fire began to smoke again so Karson poked at it with a long stick before adding more wood. He sat back down and his thoughts moved on to their arrival at the Islands.
"Have you ever been kayaking before?" Mandy teased.
"Just because I never changed a tire doesn't mean that I can't do anything!" he laughed back. "I'll have you know that my dad and I went kayaking several times."
They stepped into the kayak without incident and began to paddle. They paddled and laughed and splashed each other until they decided to have lunch. They stopped on a pleasant looking, shady island and began to unload a few things.
"Those finches are coming very close," Mandy noticed. "They must not be afraid of us." Karson looked up and noticed that there were a lot of them. The birds suddenly began chirping angrily and swarming around them.
"Mandy! Get back in the kayak!" he ordered trying to shelter her from the onslaught. They made it back but not without a few injuries. A bird had bit Karson's right hand and it was bleeding. Mandy cleaned and bandaged it carefully with the first aid kit, when she was done he moved to take the other paddle again. He winced as he pushed it through the water and switched hands, Mandy noticed this and was able to pick up where he left off and they went smoothly.
"Karson, is something wrong?" Mandy asked seeing him brooding.
"I'm sorry that our honeymoon has been such a disaster Mandy. I was really hoping that it would turn out better." He answered lifting his head.
"You think that it has been a disaster?"
"Don't you?"
"No, the wait at the airport was a little tiring but I've had a great time," she smiled broadly and sat next to him.
He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "What about the finches?"
"I thought that it was very romantic how you tried to shield me from them. You even have a badge to commemorate it by," she took his hand gently in hers.
"I caused us to tip the kayak about three times today."
"When my dad would take my sisters and I canoeing we would tip it on purpose for practice. I also love swimming."
"But..."
"Karson Garrett," she interrupted, "When I agreed to marry you I knew that it would be tough. No one is perfect and I've just been looking at our struggles today as lessons. We will have problems, but we have to pray and work through them together, just like we do to get back into a capsized kayak."
He held her close, "Thank you for reminding me."
"I love you Karson." She whispered.
"I love you too Mandy."
Copyright 2012
Published by permission of the author.
To read some samples, visit her writing
blog at alliesliteraryattempts.wordpress.com
and more at her portfolio
http://www.writing.com/main/portfolio/
view/kaylianna
To request contact with her regarding
her works, email us at
litwickgazette @ gmail (dot) com
